candlelit eyes
by strawberriez8800
Summary: Jimmy put his pen on paper and the giddiness that rushed through him reminded him of a child writing a silly love letter. This was no such thing, of course, for he planned to write his card to reflect his appreciation for Thomas's company. The words would be eloquent, ardent and honest and they would sweep Thomas off his feet.


**candlelit eyes**

_Jimmy put his pen on paper and the giddiness that rushed through him reminded him of a child writing a silly love letter. This was no such thing, of course, for he planned to write his card to reflect his appreciation for Thomas's company. The words would be eloquent, ardent and _honest _and they would sweep Thomas off his feet._

* * *

Anyone who knew Jimmy Kent in any meaningful capacity would say that he was the last person they knew who would, in fact, buy a birthday cake. On this day, not only did Jimmy plan to exceed their expectations on this matter, he was going so far as to _write a card _to go with the cake.

It seemed as though the stars aligned for Jimmy's plan when their half-day happened just before Thomas's name day. The mastery of elusion and subtlety was imperative to the success of Jimmy's getaway; it proved to be a great feat to slip by the keen eyes of Ivy or Thomas without arousing suspicion as to why he couldn't to join them in their outing. Mr Barrow, in particular, was difficult to outfox, although in the end Jimmy emerged victorious and managed to sneak off to the bakery in Ripon.

The choices of flavours and style presented before Jimmy were few and far between, to his dismay. The bright side of having only a few cakes vying for his attention was it made for a rather quick process; he selected a little orange shortcake with slices of a peach sat on top. It was simple, and as such there was little that could go wrong. Only when Jimmy was half-way back to the House did it dawn on him the candle had slipped his mind. He cursed himself on his way back to the bakery, put on a winning smile as a mask to his embarrassment, and went back to Downton with a birthday candle and a cake.

That night, Jimmy put his pen on paper and the giddiness that rushed through him reminded him of a child writing a silly love letter. This was no such thing, of course, for he planned to write his card to reflect his appreciation for Thomas's company. The words would be eloquent, ardent and _honest _and they would sweep Thomas off his feet.

* * *

_Tonight, I'm allowing the feelings I've denied myself for so long._

_I think about you, Thomas, so much. Too much. _

_Tonight, I will stop thinking and start doing._

_I hope your name day, the new year of your life, will bring something new for us, too._

_Happy birthday, Thomas._

_From Jimmy Kent_

* * *

It took all of Jimmy's self-restraint to keep himself from bursting into Thomas's room with his gift the first thing the next morning. Such an uncouth act would surely undo all of his effort thus far. Naturally, Jimmy would pretend to forget that it was, indeed, Mr Barrow's name day to amplify the significance of his surprise when he revealed that he, in fact, did remember.

Mr Carson gave a brief announcement that it was Mr Barrow's name day and words of congratulatory were passed around, to which Thomas accepted politely. The way Thomas's eyes would occasionally dart to Jimmy as though in expectation did not escape his notice, but Jimmy's resolve of avoiding Thomas did not falter. The guilt that plagued him at possibly hurting Thomas's feelings quickly faded at the thought of Jimmy's plan tonight.

"Why have you been grinning like a fool for the whole day?"

Although Alfred's ability to stick his nose where it didn't belong would irk Jimmy on any other day, he was determined to let no one and nothing bring down his mood tonight, certainly not the likes of _Alfred_.

"Can't a man just be in a good mood?"

"Usually when you're in a good mood, you're up to some mischief."

"Oh, sod off."

Such a miserable wanker.

Alfred, like an offensive piece of toilet paper, was quickly forgotten as the evening drew closer. It was almost time for Jimmy to finally, _finally_ stop avoiding Mr Barrow and the anticipation gripped him so tightly he almost struggled to breathe.

Some of the servants spent the evening in the dining hall, per usual. Jimmy was playing a tune on the piano, albeit a little distracted, with Ivy singing about, whilst Thomas was reading a magazine at the table. Alfred was discussing matters of the world, pretentious prick that he was, with Mr Carson.

"I'll be going up now. Good night," Thomas said to no one in particular. He put away the magazine and rinsed his cup. There were a few mumbles of reply, then Thomas was gone.

Almost an hour had passed before Jimmy deemed it suitable to retreat to his bedroom. By then, most of the servants had also gone and it was only then Jimmy felt safe to bring out his secret gift. He pulled out the box and card from his dresser and suddenly he felt terrified and excited, uncertain yet assured all at once. It was a foreign sensation, one that he was still learning the ropes of navigating.

His venture to Thomas's bedroom went unhitched. With two light knocks on the door and a slight pause, he heard Thomas's voice through the barrier that signalled his approach. Thomas opened the door and the expression on his face was nothing short of utter shock. Clad in his undershirt and long pants, he was rather undone compared to his usual livery, but all the while remained quite beautiful and, Jimmy admitted to himself, lovely.

"Jimmy?" Confusion coloured his voice. "What are you - " he saw the package in Jimmy's hands and his brows pulled together ever so slightly and Jimmy cursed himself for lacking the gift at reading people "- would you like to come in?" It seemed as though he granted Jimmy entrance to a thing so intimate that Jimmy felt a flush creep on his neck as he entered.

"I have something for you, Mr Barrow - I mean, Thomas," Jimmy said. "Happy birthday."

Thomas laughed lightly, staring at the box and card in Jimmy's hands. The man's expression, previously guarded, was now almost _open _for a moment and Jimmy thought he had just found a door he didn't know existed. "Thank you, Jimmy. I didn't think you...remembered."

Jimmy grinned. "I dare say I did a good job in tricking you. Open the box," he urged.

The cake wasn't anything special, although with the way Thomas's face lit up, Jimmy would give up a thousand stars if it meant he could watch Thomas open his gift every day. "Orange shortcake," Jimmy provided, suddenly feeling unsure of whether he picked the correct flavour. "And peaches."

"Thank you," Thomas said, eyes slightly wide as though he had just found himself in a dream. "I love it. Is this a card?"

Jimmy flushed, heart speeding up in his chest as he watched Thomas inspect the piece of paper. "Yes."

Thomas's eyes skimmed over the words and Jimmy wished a hole would appear and swallow him up. Jimmy knew he wasn't a wordsmith but he hoped it wouldn't be that bad. The man seemed like he was reading the words over and over again -

Then Jimmy remembered the candle. "Bloody hell." He was all too happy to change the subject as he pulled out the candle from the box, put it on the cake and lit it with a match. "Forgot about this."

Jimmy scrambled to his feet and flipped off the switch of Thomas's light. When he returned, Thomas studied Jimmy with an expression that he had never seen before. The planes of Thomas's face cast soft shadows in the yellow glow and Jimmy was struck with the urge to bring a hand to Thomas's cheek. He willed himself to be still, and Thomas broke the eye contact.

"This might be the first time I've had a cake in - hell - _decades_."

Jimmy smirked. "Then I'm glad to have the honour."

And so they spent the night eating cake and trading stories. In Thomas's own space away from prying eyes, there was a new vulnerability about the man that Jimmy had never gotten to see until this moment. Thomas was, he realised, delicate; Jimmy compared him to the likes of a glass sculpture, preserved in all his timeless beauty in a museum for all to dote on, time and time again.

The end came all too soon like a dream Jimmy was rudely interrupted from. He lamented to himself as Thomas, reluctance matching Jimmy's, showed him to the door. The night was hushed up as though it was also keeping their secret, and Jimmy vaguely wondered if there was, indeed, a higher-being that watched upon them.

Thomas gazed at him through eyes that crinkled with warmth. "Thank you for tonight, Jimmy. Really. And that card..." his voice trailed to silence and Jimmy didn't know what to do with himself.

They stood at Thomas's doorway and in that moment it seemed as though the world fell away around them. They were so _alone _and it wouldn't matter if Jimmy toed the edge of what was _right _because no one else was there to see -

He pulled Thomas into a kiss, holding the man's face in his hands ever so lightly. His fingertips brushed Thomas's jaw and felt hint of stubble, and somehow that was the thing that made the moment all too overwhelmingly intimate.,

He pulled away a beat later; it felt far too short but Jimmy thought it fruitless because as long as he had to break the contact it would never feel long enough.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Thomas." Jimmy watched Thomas's dazed eyes and he gave the man another quick kiss before turning on his heel.

As Jimmy approached his own door, he couldn't help but glance back; Thomas watched him with a stillness that seemed ethereal, and for the first time in recent memory Jimmy felt like nothing so much as bliss.


End file.
